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EDITORIAL
The four classical elements -- earth, air,
fire and water -- have affected Austral-
ian schools this summer, in the form of
cyclones, bushfires and floods. Floods
in Queensland, northern New South
Wales and Victoria inundated schools
and had a devastating impact on many
teachers and students. The Queensland
Department of Education and Training
and school staff readied 89 of 92 schools
that were inundated in January for the
new school year. Northern NSW was
also flooded although schools were gen-
erally unaffected. Nine schools in Vic-
toria's north- east were closed at the
beginning of the school year after floods
there in February. In Western Australia,
meanwhile, three schools south-east of
Perth were closed under threat of bush-
fire, and two schools in the state's
north-west were closed due to extreme
wet weather, while 74 schools in the
Northern Territory were closed due to a
cyclone warning, all in February. The
disasters brought Australians together.
The Queensland and national education
associations held a SchoolAid Floods
Relief Appeal Day on 17 February.
NSW Department of Education and
Training Director-General Michael
Coutts-Trotter even encouraged schools
to be 'Maroon for a Day' -- which has a
generous State of Origin significance.
Victoria's Department of Education and
Early Childhood Development provided
State Schools' Relief fu nds to flood-
affected students in Queensland, and
then Victoria, while the Queensland
Teachers' Union provided flood-affected
members with relief payments from its
natural disaster fund. T
Don ate to the Queensland Premier's
Disaster Relief Appeal, 1800 219 028
Don ate to Hannah's Foundation
appeal, www.hannahsfoundation.org.
au
4 TEACHER MARCH 2011
FAST FACTS
Proportion of Years 8 to 11 students meet-
ing physical activity recommendations:
17.6 per cent for Year 8; 16.3 per cent
for Year 9; 15 per cent for Year 10; and
12.6 per cent for Year 11.
Meeting dietary recommendations for
vegetables and fruit: 27.5 per cent and
47.5 per cent respectively for Year 8;
24.3 and 40.8 per cent for Year 9; 21.7
and 39.6 per cent for Year 10; and 21.5
and 37.8 per cent for Year 11.
Consuming fast food at least once a week:
39.4 per cent for Year 8; 42.3 per cent
for Year 9; 45.2 per cent for Year 10;
and 46.5 per cent for Year 11.
Proportion of male and female students
who are under weight: 4.3 per cent and
5.4 per cent respectively.
Who are healthy weight: 71.1 per cent and
72 per cent respectively.
Who are overweight: 19.2 per cent and
17.1 per cent respectively.
Who are obese: 5.4 per cent and 5.5 per
cent respectively.
Source: State Cancer Councils, Cancer Council
Au stralia and the National Heart Foundation of
Au stralia. (2010). National Secondary Students' Diet
and Activity survey 2009-10.
QUICK QUIZ
1. Who graced the cover of our January/
February issue?
2. What does the acronym PISA stand
for?
3. Who leads the consortium that man-
ages PISA internationally?
4. PISA has a 'little brother' that
addresses reading literacy: what's it
called?
5. Students whose learning is embedded
in the arts achieve better grades and
overall test scores. True or false?
6. How many daily serves of vegetables
are recommended by the CSIRO?
7. And what exactly is a ser ve of vegeta-
bles?
8. So how many daily serves of fruit are
recommended?
9. Maria Hart has identified an effective
tool for improving child mental and
emotional health that improves stu-
dents' concentration and confidence.
What is it?
10. What's happened to the
Commonwealth government's prom-
ised $1.25 billion for five school years
to reward the very best teachers, start-
ing in 2014?
Answers: 1. Shane Watson and students; 2. the Program for International Student Assessment; 3. the Australian Council for
Educational Research; 4. the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study; 5. true, according to Robyn Ewing; 6. two to four
serves; 7. the equivalent to half a cup of cooked vegetables or legumes or one medium potato or one cup of salad; 8. three or more;
9. massage; 10. the funding situation for the program remains unclear.
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